October 9, 2013 1:30PM to 3:30PM John L. OBrien Building House - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

WorkFirst Oversight Legislative-Executive Taskforce October 9, 2013 1:30PM to 3:30PM John L. O’Brien Building House Hearing Room B Olympia, WA

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AGENDA

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Time Agenda Item Presenter(s)

1:30 Welcome/Introductions Representative Ruth Kagi, Co-Chair DSHS Secretary Kevin Quigley, Co-Chair 1:40 TANF Budget Megan Atkinson, Budget & Grants Mgmt. Administrator, ESA, DSHS 2:00 CSD Contact Center Update Babs Roberts, Director, CSD, ESA, DSHS 2:05 WorkFirst Improvement Plan Babs Roberts, Director, CSD, ESA, DSHS 2:35 Revised Comprehensive Evaluation Update Sandy Jsames, Policy Lead, CSD, ESA, DSHS 2:45 Performance Review (6 Min Each)

• Limited English Proficiency Pathway
• Commerce
• Employment Security Department
• State Board for Community and Technical

Colleges

• Tom Medina, RIA Chief, CSD, ESA, DSHS
• Molly Onkka, Program Manager, Commerce
• Gary Kamimura, Director of Program Administration, ESD
• Jim Crabbe, Director of WorkForce Education & Economic

Development, SBCTC; and Kelli Johnston, Policy Associate, SBCTC 3:10 Public Comment Period 3:20 Task Force Next Steps Task Force Members 3:30 Adjourn

Illustration of Work First Provisos Transfer Authority 2013-15 Biennium Budget

Asst to Clients $407 M WF Services $168 M WCCC $368 M

$

Green arrows indicate ability to transfer funding between proviso “buckets,” various restrictions apply. Admin $142 M No transfer provisions Up to 10% - Caseload, Utilization, Client Outcomes 3

WorkFirst Budget

• Allows for transparent tracking of budget units and subunits of

expenditures to include:

– Cash Assistance – Child Care – WorkFirst Activities – Program Administration

• Uses program index codes for specific activities and to develop

allotments and track expenditures using these codes. Third Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (3ESSB) 5034 Section 207 (1)(a) requires DSHS to create a WorkFirst budget structure that:

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WorkFirst Budget Structure

M02

• Admin. Costs

and Staffing X10 TANF Cash Grants X18 Diversion Cash Assistance X22 WCCC Child Care X23 WF Employment & Training

Commerce ESD SBCTC LEP DSHS Support Services Tribal TANF 5

TANF Re-Authorization—Federal Government Shutdown

TANF was due for Re-Authorization in 2010 but has been extended through several Continuing Resolutions. The most recent extension expired September 30, 2013.

• States may use any 2013 federal roll-over funding to maintain grants and

client services. These funds may not be used for Administrative costs.

• Washington has enough federal roll-over funding and GF-S to maintain

program operations through January 2014.

• In December 2013 we will likely exhaust federal roll-over funding and

revert to 100% GF-S funding.

• At this time, all partners report continuation of services to WorkFirst

clients.

• SNAP/FAP benefits are only authorized through October 31, 2013.
• Child Care benefits may be state funded through November 30, 2013

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TANF Service--Administration Economic Services Administration

Increase Efficiency

Community Services Division Call Center Forced Disconnect by Queue

DATA SOURCE: Consolidated Technology Services (CTS) MEASURE DEFINITION: Rate by which calls encounter the “all agents are busy” message and must attempt the call again 0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00% Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12 Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12 Nov-12 Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13

Forced Disconnects (%) By Queue

Childcare Queue General Queue Green Q Gray Q Blue Q Navigator Q

General Queue Childcare Queue

Shared Workload Implementation

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Federal Work Participation Rates

FFY 2013 Target FFY 2013 Rate

Through 08/2013 Data

FFY 2013 Over/Under Target

All Family 12.5%-30.3% 11.9%

• 0.6% (minimum)

Two-Parent 52.5%-70.3% 10.8%

• 41.7% (minimum)
• Washington did not meet either the All Family or Two-Parent

participation target rates for FFY2012

• Washington is not meeting the targets for FFY2013

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FFY 2012 Target FFY 2012 Rate FFY 2012 Over/Under Target

All Family 14.6% 10.1%

• 4.5%

Two-Parent 54.6% 10.2%

• 44.4%

Work Participation Rates Penalties

• WA will submit a corrective compliance plan request to eliminate or

reduce penalties

• A corrective compliance plan will need to be implemented to balance

engagement that matters with the requirement to meet the federal participation requirements

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Federal Fiscal Year 2012 Penalties All Family $13.5 Million Two-Parent $1.4 Million Federal Fiscal Year 2013 Potential Penalties All Family $18.6 Million Two-Parent $2.2 Million Total Estimated Penalties $35.7 Million

WorkFirst Improvement Plan

• DSHS developed an action plan to improve WorkFirst performance that

includes continued implementation of 2011 WorkFirst Re-Examination recommendations and new initiatives designed to result in short and long-term improvements.

• The elements of the plan draw heavily on staff feedback as well as on a

realistic look at what has or has not worked well historically.

• Performance improvement items will be incorporated into a Report to

the Legislature required by 3ESSB 5034 Section 207 (1)(a) and due on November 1, 2013.

• The actions taken as a result of this plan would also comprise key

components of a future corrective compliance plan to ACF.

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WorkFirst Improvement Plan Elements

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Adjust WorkFirst Partner Contracts Comprehensive LEAN Overhaul New Comprehensive Evaluation and PRISM Working Family Support (Career Services) WAC Changes Required 15% Incentive for Meeting Work Requirements WAC Changes Required Increase Access to Life Skills training Increase Use of WEX as a Bridge /Ramp Implement New WorkFirst Orientation WAC Changes Required Increase Participation for 2 Parents Reduce Sanction Period/Increase Outreach WAC Changes Required Conduct Practice Assistance Visits Recommend Reduce Infant Exemption Period RCW and WAC Changes Required Focus Case Management

Partner Contract Changes

SFY 2014 Allocation Continued Activities and WF Support Services Changed Activities and WorkFirst Support Services Employment Security $15.418 Million

• Existing Career Scope service

delivery model

• All participants may receive

WorkFirst support services automatic transportation payments, bus passes and OJT reimbursements Effective September 18, 2013, only participants with a job offer may receive other WorkFirst support services (such as clothing, tools, etc.) These supports will be provided by DSHS. Community & Technical Colleges $13.601 Million

• Vocational Education
• IBEST
• High-Wage, High-Demand

Training

• Degree Completion
• Basic Skills, ESL, HS completion

and HS Equivalency (GED) preparation

• WorkFirst Work Study

No longer funded as of 01/01/2014 Stand-alone classes for:

• Life Skills
• Customized Job Skills Training
• Open entry/open exit GED
• Summer and holiday break

activities

• Remote site (in CSOs) classes

Commerce $29.828 Million

• Community Jobs
• Career Development
• Job Connection

Community Works (WEX), will be available as of October 18, 2013

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WorkFirst LEAN

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Reduce ESD Job Search Churn Process for Preparing Federal Participation Report Verifying and Documenting Actual Hours

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Participation Increasing Successful Outcomes for Educational Activities Reducing Transition Gaps Post CE Engagement (Barrier Removal to Work) Agencies ESD & DSHS (CSD) DSHS DSHS & WF Partners SBCTC & DSHS DSHS & WF Partners DSHS Location Tacoma Olympia Vancouver Everett Spokane Yakima Participants Participants will be selected from across the state to ensure representation from East/West; Urban, Suburban and Rural locations Workshop Schedule Early December 2013 Mid-January 2014 Early March 2014 Mid-April 2014 Early June 2014 Mid-July 2014

• Plan and conduct six Value Stream Mapping workshops to identify opportunities

for improvement.

• Develop and implement an action plan based on workshop recommendations.

WorkFirst Evaluation & Assessment Pilot

• Six-week pilot in three CSOs to test a redesigned WorkFirst evaluation

– In-person interviews – Whole-family, strength-based approach – Follow up questions when there may be an issue

• Completed 695 WorkFirst evaluations with newly approved TANF

applicants

• Used client telephone surveys, staff online surveys/focus groups,
• bservation and management interviews to gather information

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0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% Strengths Supports Housing Childcare Family Transportation Health Job Barriers Education Work Goals Strengths Supports Housing Childcare Family Transportat ion Health Job Barriers Education Work Goals Control Clients 71.2% 83.4% 84.5% 86.4% 91.3% 90.2% 82.5% 81.5% 91.3% 93.2% 85.5% Pilot Clients 94.7% 92.8% 92.1% 91.7% 96.0% 93.8% 94.7% 91.2% 95.2% 95.5% 96.3%

Survey Findings: Yes, the evaluation asked the right questions about…

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Recommendations

• Restructure and streamline WorkFirst evaluation questions
• Use in-person interviews and offer a separate WorkFirst evaluation

appointment to all parents

• Test the restructured questions prior to statewide implementation

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The LEP Pathway

Washington ranks as one of the top 10 Refugee Resettlement States in the US In the last 3 years, over 6,500 refugees have resettled in Washington State The LEP Pathway provides specialized employment services for LEP refugees and immigrants:

• Job search and employment placement assistance
• Work Experience and Community Service Placements
• English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
• Job Retention Services

In SFY 2013, 3 LEP Pathway Expansion Pilots were implemented:

• Intensive ESL for newly arrived refugees
• Skills training for LEP clients with low English proficiency

levels (ESL level 3 and below)

• Subsidized employment through the Community Jobs

Program

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The LEP Pathway

Most LEP Pathway providers have close ties to ethnic communities and many employ staff who entered the US as refugees In SFY 2013, we used some of our GF-S allocation to leverage funding through the Basic Food Employment & Training program (BFET) for employment services to refugees and immigrants LEP Pathway Services are provided through contracts with:

• Voluntary Refugee Resettlement Agencies
• Local Community Colleges
• Community Based Organizations
• Other Government Agencies

Services are provided in an individuals primary language and in culturally appropriate ways

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The LEP Pathway Funding

The LEP Pathway funding streams in SFY 2014:

• TANF Funds $3,600,000
• ORR Funds $1,909,109
• State Funds $2,366,000

$7,875,109 Pathway Expansion Pilots (TANF Funds), SFY 2013-2014:

• Intensive ESL $106,050
• Skills Training $156,000
• Subsidized Emp.

$750,000 $1,012,050 Basic Food E&T (Leveraged Funding):

• USDA, FFY 2013

$591,825

• USDA, FFY 2014

$680,000 $1,271,825

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LEP Pathway Outcomes

The average work participation rate in SFY 13 was 15% for mainstream clients and 28% for LEP clients LEP Pathway Outcomes:

SFY 2013 Participants and Outcomes Number of Participants 4,603 ESL Level Gains (Levels 1-6) 797 Entered Employment 1,325

• Avg. hourly wage at job entry

$10.30 Retention – Employed 30 Days 1,210 Retention – Employed 90 Days 979

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Commerce WorkFirst Outcomes

Brittany overcame homelessness and now works full-time in customer service making $12.00 per hour. Jessica learned to manage family mental health and medical issues and now works in her dream job in the medical field as a patient service representative earning $14.37 per hour.

Since 1997, Commerce WorkFirst programs have served more than 37,000 recipients with an excellent track record of successful outcomes. Most recently:

• 45.6% of participants met the Work Participation

Rate in May 2013

• In the three quarters after exiting Commerce

programs:

• 55.3 % maintained employment
• Earned an average of $10.00 per hour

(minimum wage is $9.19)

• Earned an average of $3,096 per quarter

Commerce WorkFirst Community Works

Community Works provides work experience to increase participant work skills, training and knowledge necessary to obtain employment. Designed for participants who:

• Want to supplement employment of less than 32 hours per week
• Could benefit from additional hours of engagement to supplement

participation in other activities

• Are transitioning between activities
• Need a beginning level of activity for hard to serve families with

limited participation capabilities

• Need additional support for re-training or additional experience to

be competitive in the labor market

One to twelve months of a core activity that counts towards federal participation.

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WorkFirst Performance Measures: Employment Security Outcomes

WorkFirst Oversight Legislative-Executive Task Force October 9, 2013

Gary Kamimura, Director of Program Administration Workforce and Career Development Division

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WorkFirst Performance Measures

• Enrollment
• Use of Job Search
• Employment Rate
• Median Hourly Wage Rate
• Median Quarterly Earnings
• Percent Working More Than 680

Hours in Year After Job Search

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Enrollment and Job Search

4,683 4,260

• 1,000

2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000

Jan-11 Feb-11 Mar-11 Apr-11 May-11 Jun-11 Jul-11 Aug-11 Sep-11 Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec-11 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12 Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12 Nov-12 Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13

Enrollment Job Search

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

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Employment Rate

60.7% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0%

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

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Median Hourly Wage Rate

$10.52 $9.00 $9.20 $9.40 $9.60 $9.80 $10.00 $10.20 $10.40 $10.60

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

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Median Quarterly Earnings

$3,401 $0 $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $3,000 $3,500 $4,000

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

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Percent Working More Than 680 Hours in Year After Job Search

53.1% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

State Board for Community & Technical Colleges WorkFirst Changes 2014

Presented by: Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

www.sbctc.edu

Jim Crabbe Director of Workforce Education & Economic Development

jcrabbe@sbctc.edu

Kelli Johnston Policy Associate, Workforce Education & Economic Development

kjohnston@sbctc.edu 30

State Board for Community & Technical Colleges Contract Changes and Implementation

SBCTC Funding History

25% reduction for FY14 51% reduction since 2009

$13,601,000 $0 $5,000,000 $10,000,000 $15,000,000 $20,000,000 $25,000,000 $30,000,000 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

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New Spending Plan

Tier One Enrollment and support for Vocational Education (full and part-time), Basic Skills (ABE, ESL high school completion and High School Equivalency/GED) Tier Two Services Work based learning/ WorkFirst Work-study and DSHS case management requirements Tier Three Stand alone/WorkFirst only activities – Open entry open exit classes – GED prep, life skills, General job skills training, CJST and Life skills, break and remote site classes.

Prioritization of Services

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New Performance Measures

Category/Measure Total served Achievement Percentage Basic Skills gain – test score improvement 7336 56% Vocational skills gain – earned college level credits 5519 31% Transition from basic skills to vocational education 4940 32% High school equivalency/diploma 1415 58% Certificates or degrees 5519 16% 2011-12 SBCTC student achievement baseline data

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SBCTC Monthly Enrollments

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000

Jan-11 Apr-11 Jul-11 Oct-11 Jan-12 Apr-12 Jul-12 Oct-12 Jan-13 Apr-13 Jul-1

3877

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Employment Rate

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

57%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%

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Median Hourly Rate

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

$9.60 $9.80 $10.00 $10.20 $10.40 $10.60 $10.80 $11.00

$10.84

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Median Quarterly Earnings

Source: WorkFirst Performance Chartbook, OFM, June 2013

$0 $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $3,000 $3,500 $4,000

$3164

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Public Comment 10 Minutes

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Thank You!

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